The talk is tailored for both physicians and a general audience.
Learning objectives:
– Define metabolic health, how to measure it and track progress
– Key elements to consider when selecting supplements pertaining to metabolic health and weight loss
– How to assess for supplement quality, dose, efficacy and safety
– What supplements can be used in an evidence-informed way to support metabolic health and weight loss
For broader context:
With the rise of GLP-1 agonist use for weight loss and diabetes, there has been an increasing awareness of supplements marketed for metabolic health and weight loss. Some supplements are marketed as “nature’s ozempic” and others have “GLP-1” in their name, to signal mechanisms of action similar to ozempic/wegovy and mounjaro/zepbound. This is not only misleading but can be dangerous. While there is FDA oversight over supplements, many are still unregulated, make non-evidence based claims and others can be harmful. Despite the lack of efficacy of many supplements and potential harm, social media marketing successfully targets individuals seeking weight loss solutions and the global weight loss supplement market is over 30 billion USD, and estimated to exceed 100 billion USD by 2033. Many supplements don’t contain the dose they are labeled to contain, many contain clinically irrelevant doses of ingredients, others may be contaminated with heavy metals, and many can interact with medications or cause side effects (such as liver toxicity).
When considering supplemental support, it is important to consider efficacy, safety, dosing and quality. Unfortunately, healthcare providers are not trained to prescribe supplements and monitor relevant metrics related to safety and efficacy.
This lecture will address safety, efficacy, quality and how and when to use supplemental support in an evidence-informed manner as an adjunct modality for weight loss and metabolic health. I will also address how to support the use of GLP-1 agonist medications with supplement use.
